Nintendo announces Pokemon X and Y for 3DS

Consumer NewsBy Janey DaviesOn January 8, 2013

The new Pokemon adventure will be released in October 2013, according to Nintendo and The Pokemon Company today. Announced by Nintendo President Satoru Iwata via Nintendo Direct, the next generation of Pokemon videogames, Pokemon X and Pokemon Y, will launch worldwide later this year, for the Nintendo 3DS. Apparently the two games will have the same story outline, but will contain unique (but tradeable) Pokemon.

Pokemon X and Y are set to feature a brand new storyline, unique Pokemon and ‘dynamic’ battles; and the most interesting of all, to Pokemon fans, is that the whole of the Pokemon world has been redesigned in 3D – a first for Pokemon. As you well suspect the titles will also be accompanied by an array of new cartoons and toys.

Tsunekazu Ishihara, CEO of The Pokemon Company, has confirmed that as the new games are being launched at the same time worldwide, this means that Pokemon fans who want to play the new Pokemon X and Pokemon Y ‘ game will be able to begin their adventures at the same time. He added that ‘Pokemon fans across the globe can discover the secrets of Pokemon games and can collect, battle, and trade with each other immediately.’

Meanwhile, Junichi Masuda, video game director at Game Freak (the developer that created the Pokemon series) added the following: ‘We brought Pokemon into an entirely new dimension and we’re incredibly excited to bring Pokemon X and Pokemon Y to fans. The stunning visuals, a completely redesigned environment, game scenario, music, and communication features will bring smiles to the faces of players around the world.’

The Pokémon series started out on the Nintendo Game Boy in 1996, with the original Red and Green incarnations. The main titles have always been released in pairs, with both usually featuring the same plots and locations but offering different monsters, requiring gamers to trade with their friends to get the full set.

However, although Pokemon fans will in no doubt welcome the news of this new game for Nintendo 3DS, it seems there’s still no sign of a home console version of the popular role-playing game. Something all the more puzzling given the presence of such a title on Wii U would surely swell sales of the recently released console.